SP Releasing Inks Sony Home Entertainment Pact, Sets Sights On Cannes

EXCLUSIVE:Steven Paul’s SP Releasing and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have inked a multi-year deal for worldwide film distribution. Under the pact, SP Releasing will acquire and distribute films in North American theaters while SPHE will handle home video and digital windows both domestically and internationally.

The tie-up bolsters SP Releasing’s plan to be aggressive on the acquisitions front at next month’s Cannes Film Festival, SP acquisitions and productions boss Jason Price says. Their plan for the slate is to go out theatrically in 200-1,000 screens backed by a P&A commitment.

Among Paul’s films in various stages of development and production is Ghost In The Shell, the Scarlett Johansson-starrer based on the Japanese manga series. That movie is from DreamWorks and will be going out via Disney, which just solidified a March 31, 2017 release date. Paul has a long history with Sony having produced the Ghost Rider and Baby Geniuses franchises.

“We now have the strength of a major studio behind us for home entertainment distribution,” Paul said. “SPHE is consistently one of the best distribution powerhouses worldwide, and we’re thrilled to be in business with the studio.”